Men's Volleyball Swept at Home by National Ranked Lasell and New Paltz

CHICOPEE, MA - The Elms College Men's Volleyball team hosted No. 20 Lasell University and RV SUNY New Paltz in a conference tri-match on Saturday at Picknelly Arena.

BASICS
Match 1
Score: Elms College 0 (13, 9, 18) | No. 20 Lasell University 3 (25, 25, 25)
Records: Blazers 2-10, 0-4 (GNAC) | Lasers 7-7, 2-1 (GNAC)

Match 2
Score: Elms College 0 (20, 20, 20) | RV SUNY New Paltz 3 (25, 25, 25)
Records: Blazers 2-11, 0-4 (GNAC) | Hawks 11-7, 0-0 (UVC)

HOW IT HAPPENED
Match 1
The opening set began with Elms first-year Nick Uschmann (Agawam, MA) recording the match's first kill giving the Blazers an early 1-0 lead, but Lasell would respond with four points of their own taking the lead. Graduate student Pedro De Jesus (East Hartford, CT), first-year John Bellafronte (Enfield, CT), and Uschmann would each make kills along with a service ace by Uschmann would help Elms narrow the Lasers lead, but Lasell would win the set 25-13.

The second set would begin with Lasell taking another early 9-2 lead. De Jesus would document the Blazers first kill of the set, and would be followed by another kill by De Jesus and sophomore Rafa Artero (Madrid, Spain). The Lasers would go on to secure the middle set 25-9.

The third and final set of the opening match would begin with an early Elms lead due to an error and kills from De Jesus and first-year Joey Crain (Southwick, MA). Lasell made an effort to gain the lead, but kills from Uschmann, Bellafronte, and De Jesus would extend the Blazers lead 9-5. The Lasers would continue their efforts to narrow the lead, however, De Jesus, Crain, and Uschmann would not follow that narrative, extending the Elms lead with kills and a pair of service aces. But moments later, Lasell's offense would be rejuvenated and would narrow the lead then would go on to defeat Elms, securing the sweep with a final score of 18-25 for a Lasers victory.

Match 2
The opening set of the second match would again start with the two sides contesting for the lead with New Paltz finding early offensive success, while Elms would secure points from errors made by the Hawks. But the Blazers would find some offensive life with a kill from Bellafronte, a service ace from junior Joshua Fernandez Garcia (Canovanas, PR), and a handful of errors by New Paltz, giving Elms a short lead. The two sides continued their efforts and would trade the lead back-and-forth, until the Hawks won the set 20-25.

The second set of the match would begin with another early Elms lead, with the assistance of a Bellafronte service ace and a handful of New Paltz errors. The two sides would trade the lead for a short amount of time until the Hawks began to expand their lead. The Blazers would not go out without a fight, with the help from a pair of kills from De Jesus and Uschmann, along with a pair of service aces from Uschmann and first-year Sam Moreno (El Paso, TX), the New Paltz lead would be cut to two-points. But the Hawks would secure the set 25-20.

The third and final set of the match would begin in the favor of Brooklyn, starting with a 3-0 lead. The Blazers would see a jolt of offensive life when a kill by Artero would begin a nine-point scoring streak for Elms, earning a 9-3 lead. After calling a timeout, the Hawks would begin their efforts of regaining the lead, but errors and a pair of kills from graduate students De Jesus and Collin Liedke (Newington, CT) and a service ace from De Jesus. But moments later, New Paltz was able to take the lead and would secure the sweep with a final score of 25-21.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• De Jesus: 11 kills, 11 digs, eight assists, 2.5 blocks, and a service ace.

• Uschmann: 10 kills, three service aces, five digs, and a block assist.

• Bellafronte: six kills, three assists, five digs, and 1.5 blocks.

• Crain: three kills, four digs, a block assist, and a service ace.

• Liedke: 31 digs, 15 assists, and a kill.

• Artero: four kills, two block assists.

UP NEXT: The Elms Men's Volleyball team will host Endicott in a non-conference matchup at Picknelly Arena on Tuesday, February 27th at 7PM.

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